Courts of Justice Act Regulations: 3 Fast Exam Checks

Here's the exam-style question:

Which one of the following is not a regulation created under the Courts of Justice Act (CJA)?
a) O. Reg. 67/12
b) O. Reg. 258/98
c) O. Reg. 53/01

✅ Correct answer: a) O. Reg. 67/12 — because it's made under the Provincial Offences Act, not the Courts of Justice Act. (CanLII)

And yes: O. Reg. 258/98 and O. Reg. 53/01 are both "Under: Courts of Justice Act". (Government of Ontario)

🧠 Why “Courts of Justice Act regulations” questions trick people

This question isn't really testing your memory of what the regulation does. It's testing whether you understand where a regulation gets its legal authority.

A regulation has an enabling Act (the statute it's "made under"). If the enabling Act is not the CJA, then it's not one of the Courts of Justice Act regulations—even if the topic feels "court-ish."

That's the trap.

🔍 The only reliable method: check the “Under:” line

When you look up a regulation on an official database, you'll usually see a line that says something like:

• Under: Courts of Justice Act
  or
• Under: Provincial Offences Act

That "Under:" line is the exam answer key.

For this exact question, public legal sources show:

• O. Reg. 67/12 → Provincial Offences Act (CanLII)
• O. Reg. 258/98 → Courts of Justice Act (Government of Ontario)
• O. Reg. 53/01 → Courts of Justice Act (Government of Ontario)

So O. Reg. 67/12 is the outlier.

✅ 3 fast exam checks that work every time

Here's the quick system I use for Courts of Justice Act regulations questions.

✅ Check 1: Don’t guess by subject

"Bilingual proceedings" sounds like it could belong to language laws.
"Electronic documents" sounds like it could belong to court rules.
That's why guessing burns marks.

Instead, verify the enabling Act. (Ministère de la Justice)

✅ Check 2: Look for “Under:”

If you see Under: Courts of Justice Act, it's a CJA regulation.
If you see Under: Provincial Offences Act, it's not.

This is why O. Reg. 67/12 fails the CJA test. (CanLII)

✅ Check 3: Confirm the two “yes” answers

This prevents second-guessing mid-exam.

Both of these show up as CJA regulations:

• O. Reg. 258/98 (Rules of the Small Claims Court) (Government of Ontario)
• O. Reg. 53/01 (Bilingual Proceedings) (Government of Ontario)

🏛️ O. Reg. 258/98 explained in plain English

O. Reg. 258/98 is the Rules of the Small Claims Court. It's made under the Courts of Justice Act. (Government of Ontario)

What it's for (simple version):

• It sets the procedure for Small Claims Court cases (steps, timelines, motions, offers, settlement conference flow, trial basics).

Ontario's own court guidance also says the main statute governing Small Claims Court cases is the Courts of Justice Act (especially the Small Claims Court sections), and the Rules of the Small Claims Court govern proceedings. (Ontario Courts)

So if you're thinking like an examiner:

• "Small Claims rules" = CJA ecosystem.

🗣️ O. Reg. 53/01 explained in plain English

O. Reg. 53/01 is Bilingual Proceedings and it is made under the Courts of Justice Act. (Government of Ontario)

This regulation supports how parties exercise bilingual proceeding rights in Ontario courts.

A federal Justice Canada legal overview specifically states Ontario Regulation 53/01 was made under the Courts of Justice Act and describes how it protects the right to bilingual proceedings. (Ministère de la Justice)

In other words:

• This isn't "general government French services."
• This is court procedure tied to the CJA.

⚙️ O. Reg. 67/12 explained in plain English

O. Reg. 67/12 is Electronic Documents and Remote Meetings. It is made under the Provincial Offences Act, not the CJA. (CanLII)

So even though it relates to court-style procedures (filing, signing, remote appearances), it lives in the provincial offences world.

A good reality check: the Provincial Offences Act sources list O. Reg. 67/12 as a POA regulation. (CanLII)

That's why it is the correct "not under CJA" answer.

🧾 Quick comparison

🎯 The “one-sentence” exam answer that scores full marks

If your exam allows only 1–2 lines, write this:

O. Reg. 67/12 is not created under the Courts of Justice Act because it is made under the Provincial Offences Act. (CanLII)

That's clean. That's defensible. That's full marks.

🧩 Memory trick that actually works

If you keep mixing these up, here's a practical trick:

• Small Claims rules? That's obviously part of how Ontario courts run → CJA lane. (Ontario Courts)
• Bilingual proceedings? That's literally built into Ontario court language rights → CJA lane. (Ministère de la Justice)
• Provincial offences (tickets / by-laws / POA)? That's its own statute → POA lane. (CanLII)

So the POA one is the outlier.

🧪 Mini practice set (same skill, different packaging)

Try these without looking anything up:

1. If a regulation says Under: Provincial Offences Act, is it a Courts of Justice Act regulations question "yes" or "no"?
2. If your regulation is the Rules of the Small Claims Court, what enabling Act do you expect? (Ontario Courts)
3. If the regulation deals with bilingual proceedings, what enabling Act do you expect? (Ministère de la Justice)

If you can answer these fast, you'll stop donating marks to "easy" multiple choice.

🧷 Online research verification (what was checked)

For accuracy, the enabling Acts were verified using publicly available legal references that explicitly show or state:

• O. Reg. 67/12 is under the Provincial Offences Act. (CanLII)
• O. Reg. 258/98 is under the Courts of Justice Act. (Government of Ontario)
• O. Reg. 53/01 is under the Courts of Justice Act, and Justice Canada describes it that way in its Ontario language-rights overview. (Government of Ontario)

❓ Frequently Asked Questions

❓ What does "Courts of Justice Act regulations" mean?
Regulations that are legally made under the Courts of Justice Act (the CJA is the enabling Act). (Government of Ontario)

❓ Which option is not a CJA regulation in this question?
O. Reg. 67/12, because it is made under the Provincial Offences Act. (CanLII)

❓ Is O. Reg. 258/98 under the Courts of Justice Act?
Yes. It's identified as Rules of the Small Claims Court under the Courts of Justice Act. (Government of Ontario)

❓ Is O. Reg. 53/01 under the Courts of Justice Act?
Yes. It's identified as Bilingual Proceedings under the Courts of Justice Act. (Government of Ontario)

❓ Why does bilingual proceedings law connect to the CJA?
Because Ontario's court language framework and bilingual proceeding rights are described through the CJA structure, and Ontario Regulation 53/01 is made under the CJA. (Ministère de la Justice)

❓ Why does "electronic documents" not automatically mean CJA?
Because Ontario has multiple procedural systems. This one is tied to the Provincial Offences Act, so it's not one of the Courts of Justice Act regulations. (CanLII)

❓ What's the fastest exam strategy for these questions?
Look up the regulation and read the "Under:" line. Don't guess based on the topic.

❓ Do these regulations change?
Yes. Always rely on the latest consolidation in a trusted legal database before citing them. (Ontario Courts)

✅ Conclusion

If you're studying Courts of Justice Act regulations, stop memorizing regulation numbers in isolation. It's a trap.

In this question, O. Reg. 67/12 is the correct outlier because it is made under the Provincial Offences Act, not the Courts of Justice Act. (CanLII)

If you want help turning these legal explainers into client-ready pages (Small Claims, POA matters, bilingual proceedings requests, and more), reach out through Contact or use Helpdesk Support. For stress and mental wellness resources, keep Health bookmarked.

Sources & References

• CanLII — O. Reg. 67/12 (Electronic Documents and Remote Meetings) (CanLII)
• CanLII — Provincial Offences Act (lists O. Reg. 67/12) (CanLII)
• Ontario e-Laws — O. Reg. 258/98 (Rules of the Small Claims Court) (Government of Ontario)
• Ontario e-Laws — O. Reg. 53/01 (Bilingual Proceedings) (Government of Ontario)
• Justice Canada — Ontario bilingual proceedings + O. Reg. 53/01 under CJA (Ministère de la Justice)
• Ontario Courts — Small Claims Court overview (CJA as main statute) (Ontario Courts)

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